Putting the Ork Back in Mork, Part 2
Putting The Ork Back In Mork (Part 2) was the second episode from Season 3 of Mork and Mindy, also the 53rd overall episode in the series; it was also the conclusion of a two-part, two episode story arc, originally aired as a one-hour episode. Co-written by Ed Scharlach and Tom Tenowich, the episode, which was directed by Howard Storm, originally aired on ABC-TV on November 13, 1980. Synopsis The Orkan Elder puts Mork through a variety of tests to rid him of the "Earth Spirits" that have made him boring and humanistic. Plot summary "Putting the Ork Back in Mork" concludes with the arrival of the Orkan Elder (Vidal I. Peterson), who appears to Mindy to look like a 10 year old boy, but reveals himself to actually be 86, as Orkans tend to age backwards (an element retained for the fourth season, Mork giving birth to Jonathan Winters' Mearth). The Elder has Mindy go away so he can work on Mork alone, drowning her sorrows alongside her father. Mr. Bickley (Tom Poston) drops in to complain about the noise, and sees Mindy dressed in red Orkan attire: "where'd you get your outfits, Frederick of Mars?" Allowed to observe Mork's restoration, Mindy meets Mork's Nagachomp Bebo, the number one pet on Ork, who delights in chasing her around the apartment, retained throughout this one season. The only way he can save Mork from being ostracized on Ork is to perform the ritual of the sacred eggs: "he's an eggs-orcist!" Mindy proves to be instrumental in saving both Mork and The Elder, who enjoys a hug from the 'soft wrapped one.' Though the ratings never reflected it, much of this third season rekindled the greatness of the first, though a few duds were still present (the less said about season four the better). Vidal I. Peterson would return as The Elder in one other episode, "Mindy, Mindy, Mindy." Trivia *Originally aired as the second half of an hour-long episode, and it appears in its original form on DVD. For syndication, a "previously on Mork & Mindy" bumper was added to the beginning of the show. *It's revealed that the Orkan aging process is reversed. *The Elder says that he's 7 micro-bleams old, which is 86 in Earth years. Bleams are an Orkan measurement of time, and one bleam equals 2,000 years. The prefix "micro" is completely incongruous, as it's only uttered here and the Elder later remarks of The Ritual of the Sacred Eggs, "I haven't done it in many bleams." *Mork reveals that there are three moons on Ork, named Lumpy, Squeezy and Jo-Jo. *Mork's pet noggachomp, Bebo, is introduced in this episode. Essentially Bebo was a rounded remote-controlled car covered with fur who chased Mindy around the apartment and appeared next to Mork as he made his reports to Orson throughout season 3. Bebo received as guest-starring credit as "himself" in each episode. *After Mork smashes his head against the wall, he says, "I do not know any Libyans and I have not yet cashed the check." This is a dated political joke referring to Billygate, a scandal that occurred when American President Jimmy Carter's brother, Billy Carter, became a government agent in Libya. *When Mork slams his head against the wall the last time, he makes a comment about moving "Laverne & Shirley" to Thursday nights. This was a direct jab at ABC, which had moved the top-rated sister show from Tuesday to Thursday, causing ratings to fall off the chart. *Mr. Bickley asks the Elder, "How'd you like to go for a ride in my Cuisinart?" Today, Cuisinart produces a wide array of kitchenware and appliances but at that time the word was primarily used as a brand-name for a food processor. *Mork jokes that Mindy needs "asbestos shorts" to sit on the Orkan chair. Asbestos was known for being fire-retardant and was used in a variety of products, but its usage was later discontinued when its toxic properties were fully revealed. *In a blatant spoof of The Excorsist, Mork refers to The Elder as an "eggsorcist," undergoes a ritual in which he's freed of Earth spirits and awakens from a dream in which his head was spinning and he spit out Linda Blair. *Mork ends his possession with impressions of Richard Nixon regarding Watergate and The Wizard of Oz references. Cast Starring *Robin Williams as Mork *Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell *Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell *Tom Poston as Mr. Bickley *Ralph James as Orson *Jay Thomas as Remo DaVinci (credited only) *Gina Hecht as Jean DaVinci (credited only) *Jim Staahl as Nelson Flavor (credited only) *Crissy Wilzak as Glenda Faye Comstock (credited only) Guest starring/Recurring cast *Vidal Peterson as The Elder *Julia Hendler as Julia (credited only) *Jonathan Ian as Jonathan (credited only) *Elliot Jaffe as Elliot (credited only) *Stephanie Kayano as Stephanie (credited only) *Amy Tenowich as Lola (credited only) *Bebo as Himself Category:Season 3 episodes Category:Episodes